Note:
No, this is not about the firestorm that went around about the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal. Self defense is not something that can be debated at its core. This is about shooting people as retaliation for bullying.
I started writing this back in October, following the release of Timothy George Simpkins on a $75,000 bond. However I dropped the idea because I really didn’t want to get into it. It is too negative, too divisive and yes, too cynical.
The idea that anyone would be able to shoot up a school and walk out of jail a few hours later was hard enough to wrap my head around. Then the seeming legitimization of the act because it was a POC who said it was done because of bullying when it was brought up on most big media outlets. Then watching it disappear from the corporate media machine made it even worse. This is exactly what we saw with the school shooter in Arlington, Texas.
4/ Timothy George Simpkins, 18, was named as a suspect in the shooting and faces three charges of aggravated assault. Police say he fled the scene after the shooting and later turned himself in.
Simpkins’ mother told reporters he was bullied. https://t.co/HUf8BdSRmf
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) October 6, 2021
This whole sequence of events brought up a very difficult and cynical concern, “what if this becomes a new excuse for those considering shooting up a school?” Simply put, what if someone sees this man (18 yo) get away with the most serious crime and take it as a justification for their plans to murder classmates and teachers?
We are now just weeks from this happening and there is word that 3 are dead in Michigan. A 15 year old student is reportedly the shooter who has taken a gun to school and shot students and possibly teachers. My mind immediately jumps to the idea of an Arlington copycat.
Authorities confirmed a 15-year-old active shooter fatally shot 3 victims and injured 6 others at Michigan's Oxford High. The incident occurred “all within 5 mins” before the student was placed in custody. Stay updated here: https://t.co/mxYIPlud0T @detroitnews
— Sarah Rahal (@SarahRahal_) November 30, 2021
The initial press conference revealed many distressing facts, one of which is that the shooter immediately plead the fifth and requested an attorney. This would seem to indicate that it was most likely premeditated. It is very similar to what Timothy George Simpkins is reported to have done.
This video is circulating on socials, claiming the shooter is trying to talk his way into a classroom and the students don’t buy it and flee out the window.
* more to come